Golf course greens and practice greens require considerable maintenance in order to keep the turf, both natural and artificial, in optimal condition so that a putted ball can be expected to roll on a true course. For example, the removal or strategic movement and placement of foreign materials or impediments such as sand and other debris is a necessary part of proper green maintenance. Additionally, the movement of such impediments should be performed carefully to decrease disturbance or damage to or roughing up of the somewhat fragile grass of the green. Moreover, it can be important for the health of the turf as well as for the trueness and/or consistency of the greens to position the individual blades of grass so that they are in a substantially upright orientation with a small separation between the individual blades of grass.